musicbriefs
Artist

T. Rex

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2
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10:01
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20 min
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9:27

The Slider

T. Rex · 1972

The Slider is T. Rex’s 1972 album, written and demoed during their UK tour in fall and winter 1971. It was recorded across Rosenberg Studios (Copenhagen), Trident Studios (London), and Strawberry Studios in Château d'Hérouville — the latter chosen to avoid British taxing laws. Tony Visconti produced throughout. Marc Bolan’s drinking and cocaine use affected his personality during sessions, but recordings progressed quickly and efficiently. Musically, it features layered electric guitars, phasing, reverb, backwards guitars, string arrangements by Visconti, and androgynous backing vocals — though Visconti later claimed Flo & Eddie sang on only three tracks. Its lyrical themes include vulnerability, godhead imagery, and emotional states like sadness expressed in the title track’s refrain 'and when I'm sad, I slide'.

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10:34

Electric Warrior

T. Rex · 1971

Electric Warrior is a 1971 glam rock album by T. Rex. It marks a decisive shift from acoustic folk to electric pop/rock, driven by Marc Bolan’s newly personal, erotic lyrics and Tony Visconti’s sonic innovations — flanging, reverb, backwards guitars, tape loops, and direct guitar-to-console overload. Recorded across multiple studios including Trident (London), Wally Heider (Hollywood), and Mediasound (New York), it features session players including Rick Wakeman (piano), Burt Collins (flugelhorn), Ian McDonald (sax), strings, and Flo & Eddie (backing vocals). Only three tracks retain primarily acoustic arrangements. The album establishes glam as a studio-crafted, physically immediate form — not mythic, not sprawling, but precise, punchy, and deliberately overloaded.